


Heavenly Guardian

by PattRose



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: AU, Angst, Christmas, Happy Ending, M/M, Suicide Attempt, religious talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-02-28 05:54:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2721224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim is a disillusioned cop in Cascade that hasn’t got any hope for mankind or himself until he meets a stranger and things begin to change.<br/>Warnings: AU, very strange story, religious talk, Christmas story, angst, talk of suicide attempt, happy ending</p><p>Happy Birthday, Lyn<br/>December 25, 2014.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heavenly Guardian

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyn/gifts).



Heavenly Guardian  
By PattRose

 

Summary: Jim is a disillusioned cop in Cascade that hasn’t got any hope for mankind or himself until he meets a stranger and things begin to change.  
Warnings: AU, very strange story, religious talk, Christmas story, angst, talk of suicide attempt, happy ending  
Genre: Pre-slash  
Rating: Teen  
Word count: 6110

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/user/PattRose1/media/heavenscover1lyn_zps85d03719.jpg.html)

Detective Jim Ellison was sitting at home, alone, again wondering why. He was a fairly nice man when not provoked and was usually a really good cop. But tonight, for some reason, he felt like he had overstayed his welcome. He was starting to hear things he never should be hearing and seeing things that shouldn’t be seen by any human being. His senses were all over the place. He couldn’t eat any more without getting sick. So, he was tired, irritated and starving. Jim had been to six doctors and they all said the same thing. He should give up being a cop and get some mental help. It was like the sixth doctor had been all Jim could take. Jim wasn’t going to see a mental health doctor, he was going to leave this earth the way he wanted to leave. Well, that wasn’t exactly true because he wouldn’t have wanted to take his own life usually. But, Jim didn’t know how to be anything but a cop. Jim loved his job and his co-workers. He knew they would all be sad when they heard what he had done, but it couldn’t be helped. Simon had told Jim that if he didn’t get some help, he would have to leave the force. So, Jim was leaving in his own way.

Jim had his gun out and was sitting there thinking about his dad and his brother and how he was sorry he didn’t make things better for the three of them before Jim had to leave. This seemed to depress him even more. Jim knew what he had to do. He got up and got a tablet and some envelopes along with a pen. He began to write a note to his dad, his brother, Simon, Carolyn and to everyone else he was leaving behind. They had all been good friends and he really felt he owed them a goodbye. 

Once he finished all of the letters, he licked the envelopes closed and sat back with his gun. For some reason, Jim felt like crying. Shouldn’t one cry about leaving the only life they had ever known? But, Jim put the gun up under his chin and cocked the gun. He closed his eyes and prayed that God would forgive him and was just about to pull the trigger when he heard, “Help! Help! Can’t someone help me?”

 

Jim set the gun down and walked over to the balcony and looked out. There was a large man trying to strangle a much shorter man and the shorter man was losing the fight.

Jim yelled, “Hey, let him go!”

The man let the smaller one go and took off running. But the smaller man continued to lie on the ground. Jim called 911 and told them he needed an ambulance and took off down the stairs to see if he could help the man. From the balcony, Jim could tell it was a young man with long curly hair. Jim wasn’t sure of the color because it was so dark out, but he was certain that it was a man. When Jim came running out of his building, he rushed over to the young man and knelt beside him. Jim couldn’t hear a heartbeat at first, but suddenly he did hear one. The young man’s eyes opened slowly and he was breathing very hard, almost like he wasn’t going to be able to ever breathe again and Jim finally said, “Slow down, Chief. Everything is going to be fine.” Jim saw some understanding in those bright blue eyes and heard the heartbeat start slowing down a little bit. By the time the ambulance got there, the young man was sitting up, rubbing his neck. 

The EMT that came over to assist the young man knew Jim. “Hey, Ellison, what have you got here?”

“Hi Karl, there was a very large man trying to strangle this young man. He got away and I didn’t want to leave the young man here alone. Why don’t I stop babbling and you can check him out. He seems to be doing well, right now.” Jim went to move, but the young man had his hand and wouldn’t let go of it.

“Detective Ellison, it looks like you have a friend for life. Let’s see what damage was done.” 

Karl took all of Blair’s vitals and finally said, “I think he’s just shook up, Ellison. He doesn’t seem to be hurt. What is your name?”

“Blair…”

“Do you have a last name, Blair?” Karl asked

“Sandburg. Thank you for helping me but I’ll be just fine now. Thank God for Detective Ellison or I’d be dead right now.”

“Did you know the man that was trying to choke you, Blair?” Jim asked. 

“No, I’ve never seen him before in my life. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d be gone right now,” Blair said, softly. 

And Jim thought the very same thing. If it hadn’t have been for Blair, Jim would be dead right now. Jim owed him a great deal, because Jim realized he wanted to still be a cop. He didn’t want to die.

Jim helped Blair up from the pavement and Jim could have sworn he saw a shadow of wings from behind Blair and then he knew he really needed to see a shrink. “Are you okay to go home?”

“I have no home,” Blair answered quite simply. 

“You live on the streets?” Jim asked. 

“As of today, I do. And they say it’s going to be cold and rainy tonight. I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Blair said, sadly. 

Karl said, “I can drive you to the homeless shelter downtown, but it’s probably filled up. But I can give you that ride and you’d be in the right area.”

Blair went to answer and Jim said, “He can stay here tonight. He’s been through a lot and I want to be sure he’ll be all right.”

Karl looked at Jim like he had lost his marbles. Jim wondered if he **had** lost his marbles. He’d never taken anyone in before and suddenly that’s what he was doing. Karl shrugged his shoulders and said, “Okay, I need you to sign this, Blair, and then I’ll be on my way. Do you have a phone?”

Blair signed the paper and said, “I have no phone.”

“Use my number for right now,” Jim said as he grabbed the paper and wrote his phone number down for them. “We’ll see you later, Karl. I’m going to get this young man into the warm apartment and see if I can’t get him warmed up and fed.”

Once Karl walked to the front of the ambulance, Blair asked, “What is your first name, Detective Ellison?” 

“Jim. Call me Jim.”

“Thank you for being so kind, Jim. I won’t be here long. I just need some time to get my life in the right direction.”

Karl and his partner took off in the ambulance and Jim guided Blair over to the doorway of his building and made sure that he was walking all right before he let go of Blair’s arm. 

Jim didn’t know what the hell he was doing, but, it seemed like a good idea at the time. When Jim opened up the door of his apartment, all you could see on the coffee table was Jim’s gun and the envelopes with names on them. Jim hurried in and gathered the envelopes up and put them in his jacket pocket. Blair didn’t seem to notice, so Jim was relieved. 

“Are you hungry, Blair?”

Blair yawned and said, “You know, I’m exhausted and hungry. What do you have?”

Jim frowned and realized he had no food in the house. He hadn’t been eating, so why buy it? “I’ve been having trouble with my senses and eating, so I don’t have anything here at the house. I’ll have to run to the store and get some food and drinks.”

Blair looked at Jim and smiled. “Do you trust me?”

“I would guess so, since you’re in my house, why?” 

Blair got up and walked into the kitchen and started going through the cupboards until he found what he needed. Then he looked in the fridge and saw a few things there and the freezer had a few also. He was going to build Jim a decent dinner if it killed him. Blair, not Jim. 

Jim walked into the kitchen and watched Blair building something and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m making dinner for the two of us. You look hungry and I’m starving, so we’ll have tuna casserole with vegetables from the freezer. It’s going to be great.” Blair continued his job of making dinner and ignoring the odd look on Jim’s face. 

“I can’t eat, so I don’t know why you’re bothering for me,” Jim confessed. 

“You’ll be able to eat. I bet you five bucks,” Blair answered. 

Jim cocked his head and looked at Blair oddly, again. “Do you even have five bucks?’

“No, you would have to take it out in trade.”

Jim opened his mouth to say something, shut it and then opened again. He did it about five times and Blair finally said, “I don’t mean sexually, I meant like cleaning your house or something. Don’t panic, Jim.”

Jim did indeed start to relax once he knew what Blair was talking about. If Jim had truly known he would be scared. Blair **was** talking about sex, but the big guy upstairs frowned on that. He would never let Blair have any fun at all. 

“Jim, you could start a fire in the fireplace if you wanted to. I’m still cold from being outside. Actually, I get cold rather easily. Do you mind?”

Jim shook his head no and walked over and started to build a fire. Once it was started he walked back into the kitchen again. 

“Dinner smells good, Blair.” Jim got two plates out of the cupboard and put them on the table. Then he went and go the silverware and napkins to set the table. “Do you need any help with anything?”

“Maybe some coffee to go with dinner?” Blair asked, rubbing his hands together showing Jim he was still cold. 

Jim got busy and made a pot of coffee. He made it extra strong, because he had a feeling he was going to need the caffeine to keep up with Blair. 

Blair took the vegetables off the stove and put the casserole on the table and said, “Bring us some coffee and we’re set for the evening.”

“I haven’t had anything but tapioca pudding for the last month. I don’t know if I can eat this or not.”

Blair told him to close his eyes and picture a dial in his head. Then he told him to set the dial on three. Not too low, and not too high. It would be just right for dinner. “Okay, Jim, try eating now.”

Jim took his first bite, and waited to choke or whatever and nothing happened. Instead, he took a second bite and a third. “This is delicious, Blair. And I can eat it. How did you know this?”

“You have heightened senses, Jim and you need to learn to control that, instead of them controlling you. Can you hear and see everything better than you ever expected?”

“Yes, I can. And it’s a pain in the ass. My boss is about two minutes from firing me and my friends at work are ready to throw me off the roof of the station.”

Blair laughed. “It’ll get easier as time goes on, Jim. You’re going to have to tell your boss about these abilities and go from there.”

“I don’t mind telling him if I can control it. But I already know he’s going to think I’m insane and want me to see a doctor again. I’ve seen six of them. They all thought I was nuts.”

“This time you will be better and know some things about your condition. He can believe it or not. It’s up to him. He really needs to be in the know about this.”

Jim looked hopeful for a moment and said, “Maybe you could come with me and tell him everything you’ve told me tonight and see if he’ll buy it. It couldn’t hurt.”

“Jim, I would be glad to go with you, but I don’t think he’s going to listen to a complete stranger. Especially one that is homeless and not working.”

“Maybe you could do something at the station. That way you’d be there to help me if I needed some advice.” Jim looked over at Blair, hopefully. 

“I could be a janitor or something. That way I would see you and be able to help you if need be.”

“That would be great, Blair. Dinner is delicious and I can’t believe I’m eating.”

Blair was very happy that things were working out for Jim. 

Once dinner was done, the kitchen was cleaned up and all the dishes put away, Blair asked, “So, where am I going to sleep?”

Jim showed him to the little room on the first floor and said, “Sorry it’s so small. It’s better than the streets though, right?”

“It’s a lot better than the streets, Jim. Thank you for your kindness.”

Jim ran upstairs and got a tee shirt, sleep pants and a clean pair of boxers and took them into Blair’s room. “There is a new toothbrush under the sink in the bathroom. You’re welcome to everything that’s in there. Make yourself at home. We have to be at the station by 8:00 tomorrow morning. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Blair called out, “Thank you for everything, Jim. And sleep well. If you need me, you know where I am.”

Jim got ready for bed first and then walked up his stairs to sleep. He was exhausted. When he lay down on the bed, he thought about what he almost did that night and how Blair had saved his life. _Right now, I would be burning in hell, if it hadn’t have been for Blair._ He got comfy in bed and figured he would be up most of the night as usual, but instead he listened to Blair’s heartbeat and fell asleep to the lovely sound it had. 

When Jim got up the next morning, Blair was already awake and making some eggs and toast for breakfast. That’s all there was left in the kitchen to eat. 

“You didn’t have to make breakfast, Blair.”

“It was my pleasure, man. Now, eat and then shower and we can go. I’ve been up since 5:00 this morning.”

“Wow! And I haven’t been sleeping well at all, but last night I slept like a baby. Thanks for everything, Blair. You’ll never know how much you saved my life. I mean that, honestly.”

Blair patted Jim on the back and cleaned up the pans from cooking. While Jim was in the shower, Blair said, “Just give me a few days, Lord. He’s not ready to be alone yet. We don’t want to lose him.” Blair smiled and knew his prayers were answered. Jim would have a friend for the next few days. Anything longer than that, though, would be too much time spent with Jim. The good Lord seemed to know what he was doing, so Blair wasn’t going to question him now. But, that didn’t mean that Blair didn’t have tons of questions.

*

Jim asked Blair to sit at his desk while he talked to Captain Simon Banks. Blair figured that might be a good idea. Blair didn’t think Simon looked like a very trusting soul, so he was going to have to work on the man.

Blair noticed that there was still a sadness in Jim that hadn’t left since last night and this made Blair sad, too. He was really trying, but maybe he wasn’t the right angel for the job after all, though God had said he was the right one. 

Blair looked up and saw Simon and Jim arguing back and forth and Jim was finally getting Simon calmed down. Jim opened up the office door and said, “Blair, Simon would like to talk to you now.”

Blair walked as slowly as he could. This Simon character didn’t look all that friendly. Blair walked into his office and Simon slammed the door shut. 

“So, what is all this crap you’re filling my Detective’s head with? I should have Jim arrest you and be done with it. We’re going to check you out today and you had better be who you said you are,” Simon barked. 

“Captain Banks, it’s nice to finally meet you. Jim is blessed with special gifts and you’re condemning him just because you don’t understand the gifts. I want you to go into the break room, leave us in your office and talk to someone about anything and then come back in here. Jim will be able to tell you exactly what was said and by whom. Go, it’s the truth,” Blair suggested. 

“I can’t believe I’m going to do this shit. Jim, we’re going to have a talk later,” Simon stated as he walked out of the door and down the hallway to the break room. 

Jim cocked his head as he listened to what was going on in the other room and Blair touched his back and whispered, “Don’t focus too much on hearing, keep your senses going in other directions so you won’t overload and zone out.”

Jim continued to listen and then sat down. 

“Why are you sitting?” Blair wondered. 

“He thinks he’s pulling a fast one over me. He’s not talking to anyone. He’s all alone in the break room now and he’ll come back out and tell us he wasn’t. He doesn’t believe me, Blair.”

“Listen to something another person is saying and tell Simon that. Someone that isn’t in the bullpen,” Blair said. 

Jim listened until he found Joel Taggart, making him smile. He listened to Joel and Henri talking about going out after work and having a beer. Jim knew that Simon could call and ask Joel what was new or whatever. But, Jim really didn’t see Simon believing it, but he had to think of something to prove to Simon that it was the truth.

As Simon headed back to the office, Jim heard Daryl coming up in the elevator. He was discussing Christmas with Inspector Connor. 

Simon walked in and sat down at his desk. “So, tell me Jim, what did I have to say in the break room?”

“You had nothing to say in the break room because there was no one in there. So, you thought you would be clever and just keep quiet. I have nothing to report, other than the fact that I heard Daryl coming up on the elevator with Megan Connor and they should be here any moment. They were discussing Christmas and what he hopes you got him. Simon, I sure hope you got him a laptop.”

At that very moment the elevator doors opened and out walked Daryl and Megan smiling and talking together. Simon was in awe. “How did you know he was coming up? And how did you know it was with Megan Connor?”

“I heard them, Simon. Blair tells me that I’ll be able to use this to our advantage with the bad guys. Needless to say, we can’t tell anyone else about this. I think you owe Blair an apology, sir.”

Simon hated being wrong and there was only one thing he hated worse and that was apologizing. “I’m truly sorry, Sandburg. I never thought this could be true.”

“If I could do something in the bullpen that would keep me close to Jim for the next few days, I could help him work on his senses.”

“Do you know how to type?” Simon asked. 

“Of course I know how to type. What do you have for me?” Blair was getting excited and would definitely have to talk to the man upstairs about this.

“You can be an in-house secretary of sorts. You’ll type up reports from the officers that don’t have time to do them. But, you’ll have to work with everyone, not just Jim.”

Jim stood closer to Blair and said, “Simon, I think that he should be able to go on calls with me for a few days. He doesn’t have to be paid or anything to start with. Maybe like an observer or something.”

Simon thought on that a moment. “For right now, he’s staying in the bullpen. You can call him if you have a question but he’s staying here.”

Blair began to bounce in place. He was going to get to work with Jim for a short time. This pleased Blair to no end. Now, he just had to talk to the man upstairs about all this. Somehow, Blair didn’t see him understanding any of it. One of the angel rules was for the angels to stay a short time. God didn’t want any of the people getting attached to one of his angels. Blair was going to think on this and put up a good fight. Otherwise, he would lose the battle before he started. But then again, God might have had this in the plan from the start. 

Jim and Blair walked out of Simon’s office and sat down at Jim’s desk. Jim had gotten him a chair and told him to sit across from him. 

Simon came out of his office and announced that Blair Sandburg was going to be in charge of helping the officers with their paperwork, so if anyone needed help, they just had to go to Blair. Everyone was very happy and there was like a stampede in the bullpen to get to Blair with their paperwork. 

Blair smiled at how quickly these people had accepted him. Not one person checked to see if he was a real person or not. However, there was one person that Blair had underestimated and that was Jim Ellison. 

Blair started working on the pile of paperwork that everyone was bringing over. And Jim was silently working at his computer without saying anything to Blair. 

Jim decided he needed to look up Blair Sandburg and see how he ended up where he did. Jim didn’t think it was just a coincidence that he happened to be outside Jim’s apartment the night before. What was his plan? Did Blair read minds? How did Blair know this stuff? Jim found out that Blair Sandburg did exist, making Jim even more suspicious. _Why wasn’t this man teaching at the university like the computer said he was? For crying out loud, school is out for the holidays, you moron._

Jim went on four calls that day and used his senses quite a bit. He never focused on just one sense, just like Blair had instructed him to do. Jim had even called the station and talked to Blair three times to make sure he was doing things right. It turned out that Blair was very helpful. But why did Jim still feel a certain uneasiness when he was in the room with Blair. Was it because he didn’t know who he was or because Jim didn’t seem to care?

Everyone in the bullpen liked Blair a lot. He was a likable soul. Jim knew that much. And even Simon was coming around. In one day, Blair had turned everyone around. 

Simon walked out of his office and commanded attention. “Did everyone take care of their Secret Santa jobs for the families they were assigned. You have to set up the delivery time with the parents or parent. Are we all set to give all of these families a great Christmas?”

Jim’s face just fell. He had forgotten all about it. He had two children to take care of and he had nothing for them. Jim got the list out of his drawer and looked at it. They were simple items, so maybe he’d still be able to get something even on Christmas Eve. Blair watched Jim’s face and knew he hadn’t taken care of his business as he was supposed to have done. 

Blair whispered, “I’ll help you shop when we’re done with work. Why don’t you call up the parent or parents and see when you should stop by with the gifts?”

Jim relaxed a little knowing he’d have some help. Jim did call the mother of the two children he was shopping for and asked what time he could bring everything over. Once he got off the phone he smiled at Blair. 

Blair really liked when Jim smiled at him. Blair was falling in love. He didn’t care what the guy upstairs said, it happened already and Blair didn’t know what to do with his feelings. The good Lord wasn’t going to take this well, but Blair didn’t always know what the good Lord had planned.

*

“Thank you so much for helping me find exactly what the kids wanted for Christmas. I didn’t think we would find anything on Christmas Eve. I was feeling sorry for myself and almost ruined the day for two little kids. Do you want to help me wrap the presents, Blair?”

“I’ve always wanted to wrap a present with you, so I would be thrilled to do it.”

Jim looked over at him and asked, “You’re never wrapped a present?”

Blair had to think fast on his feet. “Well of course I have, just not this year and not with you.”

Jim nodded and pretended that he understood. They got busy and wrapped the presents and got them all ready to go. On the way home from gift shopping they had stopped at the grocery store and bought a bunch of food. Blair took that as a good sign. Jim intended on sticking around, or he wouldn’t have bought all that food.

“I’ll make dinner, Jim. I love cooking. I don’t get to do it too often.”

Jim smiled at Blair as he carried the gifts over to the front door and set them on the floor. “Would you like a fire again tonight, Blair?”

“I would love a fire tonight. I’ve been cold all day long. I don’t understand how you just run around in that short sleeved tee shirt. I have flannel on and am still cold. By the way, Jim, it was really nice of you to buy me a couple of sets of clothes tonight while we were shopping. You’re a very good man, Jim Ellison.”

Jim smiled once more and wondered why Blair was really there. Jim knew that Blair could read his mind or something but why was he still there?

Blair looked over at Jim standing in the middle of the room looking like he was just thinking. “A penny for your thoughts…”

“I was just wondering why you’re still here. Why are you here? I’m a little confused,” Jim confessed. 

Blair stirred the dinner he was making and said, “I’m here because we both seem to need each other right now. I think we shouldn’t question it. Instead, we need to accept it and move on.”

“After dinner, did you want to deliver the gifts to the Secret Santa house?”

“No, you can do that and I’m going to do dishes and get to bed early. Okay?”

Jim nodded once more. “Dinner smells good already.”

“Chicken stir fry is always good, I think.” Blair wasn’t honestly sure. He was following a new recipe and hoped it turned out all right.

“That’s one of my favorite things to eat. Thank you for taking such good care of me. I’ve been a little self-absorbed lately. It’s time to think of others. Tonight, I’m going to make dreams come true for two children that wouldn’t have had a Christmas if the department hadn’t set that up. I like thinking about the kids a lot more than just myself.”

Blair was quite proud of Jim. He was coming along nicely. Before long, Blair would be able to leave and Jim would be fine. This thought didn’t please Blair at all. 

Jim leaned on the kitchen counter and asked, “How would you like to have Christmas dinner with me tomorrow night? Like a date, I mean.”

“A date?” Blair was suddenly very nervous. Oh gosh, what would the Lord think of Blair now?

“Yeah, a date. I can smell your attraction to me. So, it’s not like it’s a surprise, is it?” Jim wondered. 

“That would be pheromones and damn those things anyhow. Yes, dinner would be nice, Jim. Thank you for asking.”

“There is a Chinese restaurant that doesn’t close on Christmas and that’s where I usually go for dinner. Is that all right with you?”

“That would be great. I can’t wait.”

They ate dinner, had some lively discussions and then Jim left to deliver the gifts. 

Blair was doing dishes when he said, “I can’t dump him on Christmas morning, Lord. You know he’s not completely out of the woods yet. That might push him over the edge. I honestly don’t know what to do with Jim or his feelings, but please give me some time to work it out. Don’t take me back right now.”

A glorious smile lit Blair’s face up and he said, “Thank you, Lord. I’ll try to work things out as soon as I can.”

Blair got ready for bed and was almost asleep when Jim came in the front door. Blair heard him getting ready for bed and Blair wished with all his heart that he could spend the night with Jim. Angels shouldn’t be thinking things like this, but yet here Blair was thinking exactly that. 

Jim knocked on the door and Blair said, “Come in.” Blair switched on the lamp and sat up in bed. 

 

“Your heartbeat sounded funny. I wanted to be sure you were all right. Are you? All right, I mean?”

“I’m lonely and blue tonight, Jim. Don’t mind me. Go ahead and go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Jim came into the room, shoved Blair over on the futon and climbed into the bed with Blair. I’m not saying we do anything, I’m just here if you need me.” Jim reached over and turned the lamp off and settled into the futon with Blair. 

Blair went into Jim’s arms and loved the feeling. His loneliness was stopped if only for one night. Jim kissed Blair’s temple and then Blair moved so that they could kiss, the real way. Blair couldn’t begin to put it into words. Jim was a wonderful kisser. Blair felt like he was on fire. Suddenly, the man who was always cold, was sweaty and hot. 

“Let’s not go any further than this, Blair. I want Christmas to be special. Instead we’ll have fun on Christmas morning or night. Are you all right with that?”

“I’m fine with that, Jim. Let’s go to sleep and have a good day off tomorrow.”

“Blair, we may have to play it by ear. Sometimes I get called into work on Christmas. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Jim.” 

Blair didn’t even remember falling asleep and that next morning, he felt like a new person. _You **are** a new person, Blair Sandburg. Now, it’s time to let Blair get his life back._

Jim woke up and saw Blair smiling at him. This was a good way to wake up on any day. “Merry Christmas, Blair.”

“Merry Christmas to you, Jim.” Blair leaned into Jim and kissed him long and hard. Blair knew that he didn’t have too much time. Blair Sandburg had been in a terrible car accident and was in a coma. But he was showing signs of waking up and Blair would need his life back again. It’s just as well Blair was waking up, because the angel felt he was beginning to be influenced by too many of Blair’s needs and feelings. That Blair was strong, but needed to be if he was to be able to influence Jim.

“Who are you, Blair?” Jim asked, in a soft whisper. 

“You’ll find me again when the time comes, Jim. I really need to go now. Something has come up and I have to leave. I want you to go to Cascade General Hospital and ask for me there. I’ll be there waiting for you, Jim.”

“What do you mean you have to leave? I thought we were having dinner tonight?” Jim was so confused. 

“Jim, promise me that you’ll look for me. I’ll be at Cascade General Hospital. I’m going to be waiting for you. Promise you’ll come?”

Jim kissed Blair once more before Blair got up. “I’ll look for you at the hospital, but I don’t understand, Blair.”

“You’ll never understand everything, but just know that I’ll be waiting for you in room 205. I have to leave. I have no choice. Be well, Jim Ellison. Know that I love you and you have made my Christmas the most special I have ever had. I need to leave now, though.”

Jim let him go, suddenly aware that Blair no longer had a heartbeat. That meant Jim wasn’t with the real Blair Sandburg-he was at the hospital. But who was this Blair who had saved his life and would be in Jim’s mind and heart forever? Would Jim actually go after the other Blair Sandburg? He must. He had promised he would. Jim never broke promises. 

Jim got out of bed and knew that Blair was gone. He didn’t hear him leave, but he knew that he was gone. Now Jim had to get ready to go to the hospital. 

Jim wondered if Blair had been an angel. I mean, he had to have been, right? Jim drove to the hospital and found room 205 and saw Blair lying in the bed with his eyes closed. 

Jim walked over to the bed and touched Blair’s hand and Blair opened his eyes and smiled at Jim. “You kept your promise. The Lord told me you would, but I wasn’t sure.”

“You know me?” Jim asked, somewhat confused. 

“Of course I know you. The Lord let me come in an angel form to be with you until I woke up, here. I remember every single thing that happened.”

“I have to admit, I’m a little confused. And I don’t like being confused, Blair.”

“Just know that the good Lord was watching over you and couldn’t let you leave this world just yet. You’re going to be with me, Jim. If that’s what you want.”

“Of course that’s what I want. But…you are somebody else?”

“Jim, I was always the same person. You know that saying, the Lord moves in mysterious ways? Well, he does. He saved my life and yours. Even though I was in a coma, I’m aware of what happened with you and me. This is going to be great.”

“How could you be two places at once?” Jim wondered. 

“An angel took my place, Jim. And he kept my body, personality and my memories for that time period. I did studies on heightened senses. You’re what they call a Sentinel and you’re going to be a great help to the city. This is now your city and I’m going to be your Guide. This is why God intervened. He gave me three days, but you were too focused on you and me instead of just you. It’s time to think about getting stronger and better.”

“So, are you going to move into my loft with me?” Jim asked, still looking confused. 

“I would love to move in. I’m living in my office right now and that is getting old. Thank you for coming up here and finding me.” Blair gave Jim the sweetest smile that Jim had ever seen. 

“I’m in love with you, Blair. But we need to take this slow and easy.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Jim. Merry Christmas, man.”

Jim smiled. “Merry Christmas to you, Blair.”

And both of them knew that they were going to have the best Christmas ever. 

The end


End file.
